Broncos' Kubiak to take a week off after migraine diagnosis

Joe DeCamillis stepped up to the podium Monday after GM John Elway named him interim head coach and was instantly met with a welcome-to-the-show question:

"Who's your quarterback?"

The Denver Broncos' 51-year-old special teams coordinator dodged the inquiry, declining to say whether Trevor Siemian or Paxton Lynch would be under center when the Broncos (4-1) visit the Chargers (1-4) on Thursday night.

"We've got a lot of guys we're evaluating this week," he said. "How's that?"

Elway tabbed DeCamillis after doctors ordered head coach Gary Kubiak to take a week off after experiencing a "complex migraine condition" Sunday night shortly after Denver suffered its first loss of the season.

The Broncos saw their nine-game winning streak snapped 23-16 by the Atlanta Falcons, who sacked Lynch six times with Siemian sidelined by a bruised left shoulder.

Kubiak, 55, was transported from the stadium to the hospital by an ambulance — the second time that's happened in three years — after experiencing flu-like symptoms. He was kept overnight and doctors determined he had what the team termed a "complex migraine condition."

Elway said Kubiak was sent home from the hospital Monday afternoon.

"He's going to be back on Monday, but he's going to take this week and take care of some of those issues and find out if there are some different triggers," Elway said. "We're just excited that Gary is OK and that the prognosis looks great."

All but a handful of players were gone Sunday night and learned of Kubiak's illness via news reports.

"You never want to hear about anybody going to any hospital with any sickness, but we're just glad he's going to be OK and we're just going to handle business until he gets back," cornerback Chris Harris Jr. said.

Running back C.J. Anderson said he knows Kubiak appreciates the players' prayers, but "if you know Kube, you know he's more concerned about how we're going to play Thursday night. Let's not make the stress even worse, right?"

Elway said Kubiak's spirits were high.

"He was very tired, but he got a great night's sleep last night, probably as good of a night's sleep as he's had in a long time," Elway said.

Kubiak's predecessor, John Fox, had a heart operation in the middle of the 2014 season and conferred with his staff throughout his absence.

Elway said he wasn't sure if Kubiak will be involved in a similar fashion: "We're really kind of leaving that up to the doctors. The process for Gary is to worry about Gary this week."

Elway said Kubiak told him before kickoff that he wasn't feeling well and Elway checked in on him before heading home. Head athletic trainer Steve Antonopulos later called Elway back to tell him Kubiak was headed to the hospital.

"I will say this: it was scary going in," Elway said, "but (I was) very excited coming out as far as the prognosis for Gary and his health as well as his coaching career.

"Obviously any time you have an episode like Gary had in 2013, what happened last night is a big concern. But we left the hospital and his family was very relieved. We feel very good about it."

Kubiak had a health scare in 2013 when he was coach of the Houston Texans, suffering a "mini-stroke" and collapsing in a scary scene at halftime of a game against Indianapolis. He returned to the coaching box 10 days later and eventually to the sideline, but he was fired about a month after the episode.

After a year as Baltimore's offensive coordinator in 2014, Kubiak took over in Denver and said he'd learned to delegate better to preserve his health. He had no issues while leading the Broncos to the Super Bowl title last season.

DeCamillis said his response when Elway picked him to run the team this week was: "Yes, sir."

"It really wasn't an 'ask,'" DeCamillis said. "You want to do what you can to help the team win. That's how I look at it."

DeCamillis figures he'll be too busy this week to seek tips from his father-in-law, former Broncos coach Dan Reeves, although, "He's been a great sounding board for all the years and I'm sure he'll have some nuggets" of unsolicited advice.

Ravens fire Trestman, make Mornhinweg offensive coordinator

Convinced that the Baltimore Ravens’ sputtering offense wasn’t going to improve with Marc Trestman calling the shots, coach John Harbaugh fired his offensive coordinator Monday and replaced him with quarterbacks coach Marty Mornhinweg.

The move came less than 24 hours after the Ravens scored only one touchdown in a 16-10 loss to Washington.

“I just think we need a different chemistry in there right now to get to where we need to go,” Harbaugh said.

“I think we all know what it needs to look like. It’s what plays get called in certain situations, but it’s also the physicality of our offense, it’s the attack-mentality of our offense, it’s how we go about our business. Those are things that just weren’t getting there.”

And so, it was time for a change.

“We need to ramp things up,” Harbaugh said.

The Ravens (3-2) performed miserably on offense against the Redskins, who entered with the 29th-ranked defense in the NFL.

After scoring a touchdown on its opening drive, Baltimore added a field goal in the second quarter and was blanked in the second half.

During one stretch, the Ravens had seven straight possessions that lasted four plays or fewer. Trestman inexplicably abandoned the running game in the second half, even though Baltimore was averaging 5.7 yards per carry over the opening 30 minutes.

“When you go back and look at it, I feel like we were running the ball well enough to run the ball a lot more than we did,” Harbaugh said.

Trestman was in his second season as Baltimore’s offensive coordinator. Last season, the Ravens had the second-most total net yards in team history but went 5-11.

This is the second time during Harbaugh’s nine-year run in Baltimore that he fired his offensive coordinator in the middle of the season.

In 2012, he dismissed Cam Cameron after a loss to the Redskins and the Ravens ended up winning the Super Bowl.

There’s no guarantee that will happen again. But, as in that situation, Harbaugh knew it was time to make a change.

“It’s more about direction. It’s a big-picture type of a feel thing,” Harbaugh said.

“Are we heading in the right direction? Do I see us getting there doing the things we’re doing now? I think as a coach, you’ve got to assess that and make that call.”

By late Sunday night, Harbaugh was convinced that the Ravens will have a better chance to win with Mornhinweg running the offense.

Mornhinweg, 54, joined the Ravens as quarterbacks coach in 2015. Prior to that, he spent the 2013-14 seasons as offensive coordinator of the New York Jets. He was head coach of the Detroit Lions in 2001-02 before working as offensive coordinator of the Eagles from 2004-12.

“I’m very excited for the opportunity to see where we can go with Marty,” Harbaugh said. “I know there will be some things that he’ll tweak, but the basic system is not going to change.”

Trying to find a balance between the run and pass would be a good start. Joe Flacco has thrown more passes than anyone in the NFL, but ranks near the bottom with 5.9 yards per attempt. The Ravens threw 47 passes on Sunday compared to only 19 runs — and that was in a tight game.

“We’re not putting enough points on the board, and we’re not putting enough yards on the board for the amount of times that we’re throwing the ball,” Harbaugh said.

Mornhinweg already has a close relationship with Flacco, who couldn’t mask his frustration after going 30 for 46 getting sacked three times against the Redskins.

“Our defense is putting up awesome plays week after week and we’re just running off the field,” Flacco said. “It doesn’t feel good as a quarterback, the leader of this offense, to do that.”

The Ravens will seek to snap a two-game skid and test out their new offense against the New York Giants on the road Sunday.

Romo’s status uncertain as Prescott question looms larger

Tony Romo was expected to have an MRI on Monday, with Dallas owner Jerry Jones believing the results would show that his quarterback’s fourth back injury in less than four years has healed.

Coach Jason Garrett didn’t provide an update, but did indicate that the 36-year-old Romo won’t be officially listed as a participant in practice this week. The Cowboys visit Green Bay (3-1) on Sunday before their bye week.

“I think it’s day to day, and that seems a little further down the road,” Garrett said.

It’s been almost seven weeks since Romo broke a bone in his back when he was tackled awkwardly in a preseason game at Seattle. Rookie Dak Prescott has led the Cowboys (4-1) to four straight wins after they went 1-11 without Romo last season.

While Garrett refuses to be drawn into a Prescott-Romo debate, Jones is doing his best to show enthusiasm for the surprising newcomer and respect for his beloved incumbent, the first $100 million player in franchise history.

“Tony is our No. 1 quarterback and we’re going to have the luxury of being able to, I think, see them both,” Jones said after Sunday’s 28-14 victory over Cincinnati. “I welcome the opportunity of having Dak playing at this level and Tony back in excellent health. It’s going to be really special for the Cowboys.”

Romo has been throwing as part of his rehab, but hasn’t practiced since the injury. The 10-year starter has had back surgery twice since 2013, along with two other back injuries that didn’t require an operation, including the most recent. He broke his left collarbone twice last season.

Meantime, Prescott has avoided the types of mistakes that have plagued Romo throughout his career. While the 23-year-old had his first turnover on a lost fumble against the Bengals, he has 155 passes without an interception to start his career, seven shy of Tom Brady’s NFL record.

Prescott wrapped up the rookie mark when Philadelphia’s Carson Wentz finally threw an interception in a loss at Detroit on Sunday.

“The biggest thing for everybody is just focusing on doing what you need to do to get yourself better every day,” Garrett said, repeating a familiar refrain throughout Prescott’s winning streak. “Tony is doing that with his rehab. Then Dak has to continue doing what he’s doing, prepare as well as he can and go play as well as he can and that’s pretty much where our focus is.”

The Cowboys are visiting the Packers for the third straight season, starting with a loss in the divisional round of the playoffs in 2014. The 28-7 loss last season was one of seven in eight starts for Matt Cassel, the second of three veteran backups who failed filling in for Romo.

In two road victories, Prescott has led a fourth-quarter rally to beat Washington and overcome a 14-0 deficit in San Francisco. Now the former Mississippi State standout visits Lambeau Field.

“It’s an historic place, but once I get there I will be locked in,” Prescott said . “I will be locked into the game plan, that defense, and what we have to do to win the game.”

And if Prescott beats Aaron Rodgers for a 5-1 start, the questions will keep coming for Garrett and Jones.

“I’ll show you some hard days around here without a quarterback (that would) really want to make you pout, ok?’” Jones said. “That’s not a problem to have that.”